Exclusive Interview: FloSlam – “We’re seeing record growth”

Bringing together some of the best independent wrestling, FloSlam features the likes of IPW:UK, wXw and OTT Wrestling on a single network. They have worked on the mission to bring Pro Wrestling to the modern era, making content more accessible for passionate wrestling fans. We spoke to Nick Schenck, Senior Vice President of Customer Acquisition & Marketing at FloSlam about their operations, their effect on the industry, and their potential as a big player in the market.

We are living in a world of content aggregation and “Subs” model video consumption. How do you think people will consume wrestling live show content in the future? What trends can we expect?

Pro wrestling fans are not unlike consumers in general, and the truth is that the cable model no longer makes sense to an increasing number of people because the experience is poor. You have commercials. You can’t watch what you want when you want it. You are paying for a ton of channels that you don’t even want. Our direct-to-consumer, over-the-top approach aligns with people’s interests and passions, which is why we’re seeing record growth.

Netflix recently acquired the rights to Lucha Underground and models like Floslam exist because there is an appetite for Pro Wrestling. How do you feel the indie scene is now competing with elite products like WWE?

The indie scene is growing significantly due to increased coverage and distribution. Interest is at an all-time high. This is good for everyone involved with pro wrestling.

With indie shows now being far more accessible to fans online, how has this affected the industry? Production quality, lighting and wrestler awareness of cameras etc?

The savvy independent wrestler is aware that they always have a cell phone pointed at them, and they step up their game accordingly. Production value will always be important, but there’s also real value in creating buzzworthy moments that quickly spread online. Even a show without excellent live production can hold moments that drive fan engagement and brand awareness.

What do you have in store for Floslam in the future? How are you improving the product?

We’re making improvements in a variety of ways. First, we’re always looking to add more programming to our platform to feed fans’ appetites. At the moment, we have 11 live events in June and July, and we continue to upload all WWN archives to our library. Also, while annual subscribers to FloSlam already have access to premium content across our entire FloSports network, we’ll also be giving monthly subscribers the same universal access in the coming months. We are making additional investments in our product that we’ll be announcing shortly.

How do you feel your product is affecting the industry?

Our goal is to grow pro wrestling through comprehensive live and on-demand coverage of the best indie promotions in the world. We also want to tell the stories of some of the biggest personalities in pro wrestling. Our series on Matt Riddle was well-received, and we look forward to producing more original documentaries along those lines.